Traditional techniques hold true in digital job hunt

By COLLIN MCRANNSun Advocate writer

Successfully navigating the tough job market is no exact science, and although Carbon County has not experienced the same economic difficulties as much of the country, job hunting can still be challenging.

With so many new avenues open to post and look for jobs, both applicants and employers have made adjustments to how they go about their employment practices. Far gone are the days of sending resumes and applications in by hard mail and although their replacement, -email- is much faster, the same rules of sound references and resumes still apply.

While traditionally job postings have been done on a more local level, the invention of internet based job searches has made it possible for one person to easily apply for any number of jobs any where in the world. This however has not typically effected the local job market for less skilled labor, as it is typically not posted on the internet.

Skilled labor, however is almost always posted online because qualifying people typically can be difficult to find locally. "Employers typically put the higher end jobs online," said Susan Etzel at the Department of Workforce Services.

Depending on what an individual is looking for, the internet can be helpful, but one thing many job seekers do when looking online is to search specific posting sites, for their field of interest, instead of a "blanket site," like Monster.com.

David Craig, a recently hired intern for interim CEU president Mike King, who is studying public relations and is a registered Utah lobbyist, said that he prefers to search through specific PR job sites and others that cater his career field. "Some of the (well known) websites charge," he said.

One thing that Craig stressed is that with the current job market being so competitive and the internet so easily accessible, that personal interactions can go a long way.

"My father taught me to do things on a personal level," he said, specifying the effectiveness of dropping applications off in person and meeting people directly.

With so many skilled people out of work around the country it can be an added challenge for people like Craig who are new to their career fields because competition can be steep. Craig, however, finds an unexpected advantage when competing against others with 30 plus years experience.

"Our generation can't necessarily compete solely on experience, but we can offer fresh perspectives and ideas," said Craig.

As far as competition is concerned, it is true that the internet can create a very competitive environment for job seekers, but it is also true that it can leave employers almost overwhelmed. "Part of the problem with Monster.com is your just one click away from applying," said Jay Stephens the Director of human resources at CEU. "Sometimes you get quantity not quality,"

Stephens added that he has had success with Monster, when looking for jobs with steeper requirements, "it just depends," he said.

Many job networking sites like Monster.com have been around for more than 10 years however it is important for job seekers to not loose sight of "personal touch," when apply for work because while it's easy to send out hundreds of standard letters and resumes, it's also easy for employers to see through it.

"One of the biggest things for me is I want someone who has done their homework, and knows a lot about us," said Stephens. "I don't want some generic cover letter," he concluded.